As the last day of poetry month arrived I was reading all the disturbing Arizona immigration garbage when I was momentarily distracted by something that, even in my relatively short life, I would never have imagined I’d be reading. An article about Hugo Chavez exhorting Fidel Castro and Evo Morales to Twitter. This all coinciding with the end of John Mayer’s love affair with twitter, as he abandons the twit for the tumblr, proclaiming he is “over it”.
Far be it for me to say, but word on the street is John had better take Jim Carrey with him because Jim is freaking out on Twitter.
I apologize for that digression. I often post while I think, and that was the case with the previous meanderings.
For the last day of poetry month I’m going with this timely piece by Langston Hughes.
Let America be America again.
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.(America never was America to me.)
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed–
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.(It never was America to me.)
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.(There’s never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek–
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one’s own greed!I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean–
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today–O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That’s made America the land it has become.
O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home–
For I’m the one who left dark Ireland’s shore,
And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa’s strand I came
To build a “homeland of the free.”The free?
Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we’ve dreamed
And all the songs we’ve sung
And all the hopes we’ve held
And all the flags we’ve hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay–
Except the dream that’s almost dead today.O, let America be America again–
The land that never has been yet–
And yet must be–the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine–the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME–
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.Sure, call me any ugly name you choose–
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath–
America will be!Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain–
All, all the stretch of these great green states–
And make America again!
peace
Very moving. Thanks for sharing this.
Your welcome, it is timely and moving.
Your digressions are other peoples masterpieces. The poem is awesome I’ve never heard it before thanks.
I was too busy re-tweeting your last tweet to think of a poem.
The Chavez thing does give one pause and Mayer meh.
Carrey I’m over him – he used to be brilliant, maybe still is.
.-= G ´s last blog ..Poetry Month My Choice =-.
silly stuff
When Obama was elected President, my American friends at Uni all read pieces of this Hughes poem.
It is, indeed, a beautiful sentiment and brings a tear to my eye.
.-= risha´s last blog ..IDEA-lism. =-.
I thinks it’s important to read thing like this every often.
Sweet poem.
Yes, I’ve noticed Jim Carrey has been posting a lot of weird comments quite frequently since he & Jenny McCarthy split publicly. I’ve always thought celebrities are people just like the rest of us, but in their case there is often too much free time.
Part of their appeal is that we see them as characters in movies, or TV shows, but in real life they’re just as insane as the rest of us.
I don’t mind him so much. Even if a person (such as myself) post crazy thoughts, there is a sense of honesty I admire. Some people use the web to project a fake persona.
I use Twitter mostly to read celebrities, find out more about them.
Elizabeth Banks is really into herself, but funny. Roger Ebert is quite intelligent, but kind of an old prude. Kristen Bell seems nice, but a bit dense. Bill Maher is exactly as you would expect. It’s nice to sort of peak behind their public image to see what they think in their own words. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
.-= Bennet´s last blog ..That’s Why I Love Spring =-.
I use twitter to read things and periodically post a tweet, it’s a temperate relationship at best.
I still don’t get Twitter. I’m glad Langston Hughes never took it up. Perfect conclusion to poetry month on Wonderlandornot.
.-= Doug´s last blog ..Bastinado =-.
There isn’t much to gt really.
I long ago gave up twitter. I don’t think anyone is interested in my whereabouts or very poorly spelled thoughts.
.-= Chris´s last blog ..One Last Sentence Would Have Changed the World =-.
I don’t read those type of posts I like when people post links or certain other things which is why I don’t follow the usual fare.
I think Twitter can be useful, but it can also be a colossal waste of time… pretty much like everything on the Internet. A beautiful and moving poem. Much better than my attempt to address the Arizona mess.
.-= Francis Scudellari´s last blog ..If Arizona’s Iced Tea, I’ll Drink Coffee =-.
I liked your piece Francis.
Perfect poem to end this month with for political and poetic reasons.
I don’t use twitter but can see how some people do.
as a celebrity, already pretty self obsessed, it’s hard not to share the self obsession with all their admiring fans. ha ha
Of course you’re right but some of them are extremely creative.
Great poem for the recent political climate – a good way to end the month.
I can see Chavez sitting around in heavy conversation with Castro about Twitter. And it’s just as well John Mayer left he was beginning to show his obsession (himself) all too clearly.
Yea, I follow him on tumblr never did on twitter.
Puts it in perspective when tea baggers say “give me my America back!”
.-= ChrisJ´s last blog ..Nostalgia with T.A.M.I. =-.
Precisely Chris.
I think the poem is perfect for the times. as for John Mayer – I’m still trying to figure out what is so great about sexual napalm. because i was under the impression that napalm killed you. True after you feel the burn but you still end up dead. Not sure what to think about Chavez and Castro and it’s probably better that I don’t.
.-= casey´s last blog ..Fear the Boom and Bust a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem =-.
Napalm enhances detonation whether inward or outward right? Now seriously, who wouldn’t want to be called sexual napalm, or at least be a party to it.
I’m gonna wait for Chavez to start a tumblr……
funny
I’m gonna wait for Chavez to tumble down batshat mountain…
nice to see that you think, even if only while you post :-)
I finally decided to try twitter… been on for two weeks but nothing exciting.
http://twitter.com/IamSauerkraut
.-= sauerkraut´s last blog ..Bite your ass Friday: welcome to the jungle, South Hadley High School’s creed =-.
It really is not all that but I often find little pieces of news I’d other wise miss – or silly stuff I enjoy.